Greatwind
"Who knew locusts could have a king, let alone a kingdom?" - ''House Despetus Captain '''Location:' The Continent of Coro Nam Capital: Steinmauern ("sh-tine-mau-ern") Official Language: Sachteung ("sawk-toing") Religion: Specimagi ("spek-imah-g-ee") Government: Absolute Monarchy * King: Ermelaus Himmelstein XV Population: 2,100,000~ According to a royal census in 4375 PHC Currency: Gold Primary Export(s): Corinthium, Iron, Lumber National Bird: Shining Taubenfalcon Greatwind is a country in northern Coro Nam. It borders the Somleiran states to the west, the Malfideic tribes of Sveaus to the east, and the forbidden Jehannic wastelands to the far north. Origin The End of an Era One thousand years after the crusade into the far north to eradicate the infidel Jehanna, unrest began to brew in the Union of the Windlands. Several seasons worth of failed crops had wreaked havoc on the sickly nation as thousands were succumbing to starvation with no end in sight while various religious movements began to spring up across the union. Some of these groups called for a more strictly spiritual lifestyle amongst the citizens of the Windlands; others pressed for radical reforms to the church or even an out right return to old-world paganism. Naturally, neither the Specimagist Church nor the ruler at the time, Aurik III of Blaues Wasser, were pleased by this. In the year 1147 PHC, with the Church's blessing, Aurik declared that the Grand Armies were to hunt down the dissenters and bring them to justice. Unfortunately for Aurik, the hunger-stricken men from each of the thirteen counties that made up each of Aurik's Grand Armies outright refused to slay their fellow countrymen. Fueled by rousing speeches from the counties' philosophers and the king's apathy for their plight, the soldiers and their families marched into the county of Weißer Mond armed with pikes, swords, and whatever else they could get their hands on to storm the fortress that Aurik and his family had fled to once news of the uprisings had reached them. With their forces outnumbering the king's personal guard thirty-to-one, the soldiers laid siege to the fortress for nearly a month before finally managing to breach the fortress' walls. During the siege, hundreds more starved to death, further enraging the people. Soldiers poured into the fortress, massacring the woefully outnumbered royal guard, before dragging Aurik and his family out of the royal palace and surrendering them to the vicious mob. The angry mob savagely stabbed and bludgeoned them repeatedly, kicking them back into the mud when they attempted to climb to their feet. An hour passed before the family of five was finally beheaded at the behest of Otto Himmelstein, a captain from the Second Grand Army hailing from Grau Eisen. While his motivations have been widely debated by Greatwind scholars, the general belief is that this was done as an act of mercy. Stories of "The Noble Angel Of Death" quickly spread across the counties, turning Otto into a hero almost overnight. However, before long unrest was beginning to stir once more as the thirteen counties debated fiercely over who should be Aurik's successor. Convening at the Grau Eisen city of Steinmauern, the governors of each of the counties arduously discussed amongst each other what should be done. With no progress being made, Otto Himmelstein reluctantly volunteered for the role of a temporary ruler until the matter could be formally resolved by the council. To his dismay, the council overwhelmingly supported his proposal and in the year 1148 PHC, Otto Himmelstein was crowned king of the Windlands. The Malfideic Diaspora Drawing from his military background, Otto passed various legislatures aimed at restructuring the Union of the Windlands into a one unified nation with goal of creating a new sense of common unity amongst the people and in late 1152 PHC the counties formally agreed to uniting completely under Otto. While these actions proved beneficial on the whole, minorities such as the various pagan groups were increasingly alienated by their fellow Specimagi brethren, something Otto had not intended. These tensions reached a fever pitch in the year 1153 PHC when preachers of the Specimagi Church declared to the people of the Windlands that it was their moral duty to drive these devil-worshiping infidels from their lands. One by one, pagans were driven from their homes, forced eastward into the snowy forests of Sveaus in an event that would later be referred to as the Malfideic Diaspora. While the people rejoiced in their perceived victory, Otto Himmelstein quietly met with the High Priest of the Specimagi Church and issued an ultimatum: surrender control of the Church or be executed for acting against the will of the king. The Church grudgingly ceded power to him, declaring his rule to be one blessed from on high. Greatwind's Inception With support from the people and the Church, Otto discussed various strategies with scholars for resolving the hunger crisis. During the discussion, however, a dozen of raids were perpetrated by men which, according to the affected towns, hailed from the southern lands. While the majority of these incursions were repelled, news of these attacks angered the people of the Windlands, who looked to their new king for guidance. Otto Himmelstein saw the dangers that a war with the southern people would bring to the still weak nation and was initially hesitant to act, but upon careful consideration he decided that this could be the opportunity his people were waiting for. The territories to the south were more fertile than anywhere else on the continent, and by taking these territories Otto would ensure the continued survival of his new Kingdom. By the end of 1155 PHC, Otto had issued the order to his governors to begin having their people ready themselves for war. On the eve of the invasion, Otto called for a gathering of his governors and representatives from each county. Rising from his throne, Otto declared that each governor would now act as a High Commander of their respective county's Grand Army, assigning each army a different invasion corridor save for the Thirteenth Grand Army, who would remain behind to defend the kingdom. His final act of that night was to rechristen his unified nation as Greatwind, as a symbol of the unification of the Windland counties. The following morning, the chosen twelve Grand Armies began their march south at the start of spring in 1156 PHC, the people of Greatwind watching on with renewed hope and patriotic glee. The War of the Pastures The Assault on Einfauser Despite the glory of their departure, the invasion quickly turned into an exhausting slog due to the seasonal heavy rain which turned the ground into a thick mire, something planners of the invasion failed to account for due to being unfamiliar with the region. The frequent rain lowered the moral of the men, many of whom were beginning to suffer from exhaustion and trench foot, yet they marched on. It was at the end of the spring that the first major settlement had been encountered by men of the First Grand Army. Standing beside the Spritzen River was the town of Einfauser, a local center of trade owned by the lesser noble family the Bruns. Enthralled with finally having a worthy target, officers of the First Grand Army sent scouts into the city under the guise of travelling mercenaries to determine the city's defenses and layout. The spies found that the outer portcullis of the city's gatehouse was in the process of being replaced. While this meant one less obstacle for the Greatwind men to overcome, it also meant facing a weary opponent, as the city's guardians were on high alert until the gate's replacement had been completed. The city's guard itself was nothing to downplay, for it was comprised of a respectable number of former soldiers and mercenaries who were experienced with fighting within city walls. The attacking army was not completely disadvantaged, however, for it was undetected by the people of Einfauser. Once enough information had been gathered, the scouts withdrew and reported their findings. Weighing up the situation, the High Commander assigned the task of capturing the city to a captain under his command by the name of Terell Durr. Allotting Durr a force roughly consisting of three hundred footmen, one hundred archers, and sixty pikemen, the High Commander declared that city would be under Greatwind's control by the following night. The infamous declaration by the High Commander was seen as insane by Terell Durr, who knew full well that such a demand was madness when the First Grand Army was specialized in fighting pitched battles in the open, not urban warfare. Additionally, the notion that a siege could be completed in time for supper the next day was lunacy, but Durr worked with what he had to create a plan of attack. The Rise of an Empire The Somleiran War Military Category:Greatwind